10.16.2005

Equation #21: mewithoutyou

I recently saw these guy in concert and, though they were the opener for the opener for the opener, I think I got my ticket and service charge money out of their performance alone. My brother has tried to get me into them for some time but for some reason I wasn't ready. Most people would be put off by Aaron Weiss' way of putting across his journal-esque stream of thought lyrics, specifically speaking them loudly over layers of guitar fuzz and cascading delays in a style that can only be described as Scream-o meets Poetry Slam, but once you let the whole sound sink in you realize that if he just sang they lyrics it would sound like any other broody, literate musing by some suburban kid with a Fender and a Five Star notepad. Not to say that the band doesn't carry the words in a fitting way, the addition of swirling, space rock noodlings over the grind gives the music a dreamlike, often warm sound to what could be just the same old indie noise. Though these guys are just barely breaking into the scene they've already played hundreds of tiny shows in places you've never heard of. However, if you catch wind of their arrival in your town make sure you check them out. I was literally standing there with my jaw dropped and being a jaded, cynical hipster elitist that doesn't happen too often.